New Beginnings, Harder Struggles
by I.C.2014
Summary: Erik decides to stay and together, Charles, and he begin to recruit new students for the Xavier Institute. During this journey, they attract the attention of a certain group of supernaturals, who watch them from the dark... Edits made, chapter 5 has now been extended. Please read and enjoy
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** an X-man: First Class/ True Blood crossover. After the events in Cuba, Erik decides to stay with Charles. Together, they create the school and begin recruiting students. They begin to catch the attention of vampires. (NOTE: They are young men in this and this will be before the great revelation, or the vampires "come out of the coffin" as people like to call it ;) ).

* * *

><p>"Charles, please explain why we are doing this again?" Erik Lensherr asked exasperated.<p>

"Erik for the last time," Charles responded patiently. "There is a little girl with special talents and we want her to attend the institute."

Erik snorted as he continued to push his friend forward in the wheelchair. "In this rundown little place?" Erik asked skeptically, gesturing towards the small town they found themselves in.

"I'm sorry Erik, do you see any palaces around here that I may have missed?" Charles Xavier asked sarcastically. "Yes, the child we're looking for lives nearby."

The two mutants made their way to a house on the left of them. The house seemed as old and as rickety as the rest of the town. As they got closer, Erik took note of the yellow chipped paint. After leading his friend over to the door, Erik went through the motion of knocking on the door.

* * *

><p>Sookie Stackhouse got up from her seat in the kitchen and walked to the front door. Her grandmother and her older brother, Jason, watched her with interest.<p>

"Sookie?" her grandmother called. "What are you doing sweetheart?"

"Someone is coming to the door," Sookie explained. "Two someones." As if to emphasize her point, Sookie opened the door to reveal the visitors that were just outside.

* * *

><p>"Erik awkwardly lowered his hand as he studied the little girl who opened the door. <em>'Strange,<em>' he thought._ 'Almost as if she knew we were coming.'_

"Well I didn't actually know that you'd be coming," the girl shyly explained, "… but I heard you coming."

Erik raised an eyebrow, while Charles smiled benevolently. "That's quite alright."

"Sookie? Who's at the door sweetheart?"

Adele Stackhouse walked towards the door and noticed the two young men in front of the door and noticed the two young men. "Well hello. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Hello Mrs. Stackhouse. My name is Charles Xavier," Charles said before gesturing to Erik, "and this is Erik Lensherr. May we please come in? There is something we must speak with you about."

Adele nodded her head. "Alright." She gestured for them to come inside. "Please have a seat in the living room. Is there anything that I can get you? Sweet tea? Lemonade? Water?"

"No thank you Mrs. Stackhouse," Erik answered evenly, his stare completely fixed on the little girl that answered the door. When Mrs. Stackhouse walked into the kitchen, Erik finally turned his attention to the man in the wheelchair.

"Another telepath Charles?" The metal controller whispered angrily. "When did you find out? And why didn't you tell me about this before?" Charles usually told him the mutant abilities of the children they came to retrieve if he had an idea of what they were."

"I'm sorry my friend." Charles had the decency to even appear remorseful. "I was just so excited that it must've slipped my mind to mention it."

Erik sniffed disapprovingly. "Don't let it happen again Charles. It's not appreciated."

Charles smiled serenely. Sookie balanced on her feet in an uncomfortable manner. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, eyes downcast.

Eric turned to face the little girl again. "What are you apologizing for little girl?" he asked softly.

Sookie started blinking rapidly. "I just… I can't control it… I try but…" The little girl was at the brink of tears.

Erik's countence softened. He lowered himself on one knee so that he was eye level with the girl and held her shoulders. "Now listen to me," he whispered to her.

Sookie slowly met his eyes. Her tears sliding down her face without interference. Erik wiped them away. "Now listen."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Erik told her. "Your powers are not something you will ever need to be ashamed of." At that moment, Sookie felt a slight tug from the pocket of her sundress. Sookie looked to see what it was.

She watched in amazement as her quarter levitated out of her pocket and into Erik's hand. Sookie wiped her tears, never taking her eyes off the coin.

"You will never feel shame again," Erik swore. Sookie looked then at the man in the wheelchair, but he didn't look at all surprised by the events that occurred. Instead he continued to smile warmly as his wheelchair came closer. He grabbed her hand.

'_Erik is right you know,'_ the man said, his lips never moving. _'There is nothing wrong with the way you are.'_

Sookie just continued to look at him until her gran returned with Jason in tow.


	2. Chapter 2

Adele sat on the couch with Jason and Sookie on each side of her. Erik sat across from them in the easy chair, with Charles' presence by his side.

"So what is it I can do for you?" Adele asked.

Charles and Erik shared a look. _'You should do the talking my friend,'_ Erik thought.

Charles nodded his head absently and sighed. He smiled. "Mrs. Stackhouse, I just want to first say that you have exceptional grandchildren. Jason is very good at sports and, even though I'm not really here to talk about that, I can tell that he was a bright future ahead of him.

Jason was practically beaming at the compliments. "Why thank you," Adele said with pride.

"It's the truth," Charles answered, looking at Jason. "You have a lot of potential and I wish you the best in all your endeavors."

Charles could hear buzzing in his head as he felt pride and then confusion as he wondered what endeavors were.

"An endeavor is an attempt or effort," Charles calmly explained. "I meant good luck on whatever you might try to do in life." Jason's eyes widened in shock and realization, _'He's just like Sookie!'_

"I'm sorry about that Mrs. Stackhouse," Charles said. "I didn't mean to startle anyone. That was what I wanted to talk to you about and it also concerns your granddaughter."

Erik studied Mrs. Stackhouse's expression. "You don't seem very surprised Madame."

Adele studied him. "Are you also…?"

"Like them?" Erik finished, gesturing to both Charles and Sookie. The woman nodded. "Yes and no."

"What does that mean?" Jason asked.

"Jason!" Adele exclaimed.

"That's quite alright Madame," Erik said, holding a hand up. With a gesture of his hand every small metal object moved in the air and landed on the little living room table. The Stackhouses watched in fascination as knives, forks and spoons organized themselves neatly on the wooden surface.

"To answer your question… Jason was it?" Jason nodded his head excitedly, signaling for Erik to continue. "My friend Charles, your sister and I are the same; we are mutants or human beings that happen to have certain abilities that make us different from others."

"But I'm not a telepath like Charles and your sister. I have the ability to move objects made of metal."

"Mutant?" Adele asked, unsure.

"Yes Madame," Charles answered. Charles quickly explained what mutants were and his research on the subject. Erik nodded his head in parts of the explanation.

"So… Sookie's powers are genetic?" Adele asked to understand, "And you two have a school for mutants that you want Sookie to go to?"

"Yes," Charles confirmed.

"So I'm like this because of granddaddy?" Sookie asked. The question surprised the two men.

"That may be," Erik answered slowly. "Was your grandfather a mutant?"

"He was like me," Sookie answered. "He had a handicap."

Charles decided to ignore the handicap comment; he would deal with it later. _'We will address that at a later date,'_ he telepathically promised his friend. The German national nodded. Charles turned to Mrs. Stackhouse. "Is it true what your granddaughter has said?"

Adele nodded. "Earl was the same way."

Charles thought. _'That's interesting.'_ "Well Mrs. Stackhouse? Is there any other question that we can answer for you?"

Adele thought, hesitating to voice her question.

Charles sensed her discomfort. "It's alright Mrs. Stackhouse," he answered comfortingly. "You can ask anything. No question is a pointless one."

"It just seems too good to be true…" Adele looked at her granddaughter, who she loved dearly. It was so obvious that she wanted to go. She could barely stay still in her seat. "How much is this all going to cost? If the school is in New York, will I still be able to see her? What about the other children in the school?"

"Well Mrs. Stackhouse," Charles started. "There is no expense to you. This is an opportunity that we offer to help young mutants like Sookie to help them grow to control their powers. As for visiting her, you will be able to do that on holidays or anytime you feel that you need to. We can talk about that more."

"As for the other children," Erik answered, "I will admit that most of them did not have the best homes. Most of their parents were not as understanding when they found out about their mutations. Some of these children are even runaways who have had runins with police, but Sookie has nothing to fear from them. These children are facing a similar struggle as her and will not ridicule her because of her powers. For the most part, they will treat her the way they would want her to treat them."

'_This sounds like a good place for Sookie, but… do I need to make a decision right now?'_

"There really is no need to make a decision this very instance." Charles answered. "This is a lot of information to take in and we do have other business to attend to. We'll be in Louisiana for a few more days. If you'd like, we can come back at a later date?"

"I would appreciate that," Adele said. Everyone exchanged their farewells.

"Thank you very much for your time Mrs. Stackhosue," Erik smiled, shaking the older woman's hand.

"Please call me Adele," she said as she led the two gentlemen towards the front door.

After she finally closed the door, she sat back on the couch with her grandchildren and sighed. There was still a lot to talk about.

* * *

><p>Once they were outside, the two gentlemen shared a look.<p>

"Why are you staring Charles?"

The man in the wheelchair smiled. "You surprised me just now my friend." They made their way over to their next destination.

"How so?" Erik asked.

"This is the first time I've ever seen you act that warmly towards family members without powers."

Erik shrugged. _'It was just easy to like them,'_ Erik thought to Charles.

'_I know,'_ Charles said. _'They love her so much and Adele seems very open-minded.'_

'_They're proving to be a rarity.'_

'_But they still exist,'_ Charles thought strongly. _'The only thing that could make it better is if the other family are like the Stackhouses.' _


	3. Chapter 3

Unfortunately that was not the case. The household they stood in front of seemed to the exact opposite of the Stackhouse residence.

Erik must've knocked on that door for almost twenty minutes straight and still no one answered.

"Hey!" Erik and Charles turned back to the fence. A little girl with braids was standing just outside of the gate.

"Hello," Charles said aloud. _'This is the girl Erik.'_

"What do you want?" The girl asked rather rudely. "And why are you even knocking?"

Charles patter Erik's arm, effectively calming the German before he could say something. "We apologize for disturbing you," Charles said, smiling pleasantly. "Do you live in this house?"

"No!" The girl denied loudly. Both men instantly knew she was lying.

Erik raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Then why is it any of your business if we decide to knock on this door?"

The girl opened her mouth, readying herself to utter the rudest comment possible if Charles hadn't intervened.

"It doesn't matter Erik," Charles said. "The people who live in this house don't seem to be home at the moment."

Erik glared. _'What are you doing Charles? It's obvious that the girl lives here!'_

_ 'I know,'_ Charles answered. _'But she obviously wants to deny living here. I have an idea, just play along.'_

Erik nodded. _'I'll trust your judgment.'_ Erik pushed Charles' wheelchair while they made their way outside of the gate.

"Are you going to go home soon?" Charles asked.

The little girl glared. "It's none of your business!"

Charles held his hands up in surrender. "You're right. You don't have to tell me. The only reason I asked was because my friend and I are quite hungry. I was hoping that you would be able to point out a good establishment to enjoy a meal."

The girl pondered her options.

_'I don't even know them. The might take me away when I'm off guard. That's what these people do.'_

_ 'But I'm hungry too… maybe they'll feed me… I know mom won't…'_

"Come with us," Charles urged. "I promise that it will be our treat."

The girl eyed them both suspiciously.

"There's no reason to be concerned." Charles winked mischievously. "I promise I can't chase you if you decide to run."

"And I'm not likely to leave him to chase you little girl," Erik quipped.

"What did you say?" The girl snarled. "The last thing I'm scared of are you two crazy white guys! Got that?"

"Crystal clear my dear!" Erik asked, "Now where do we eat?"

* * *

><p>They entered the local diner and gave their orders to the waitress serving them. They sat patiently together.<p>

Charles and Erik were pretty sure that the girl in front of them was the one they were looking for. They needed to ease into the conversation.

"You know," Charles began. "I don't think we've heard your name as of yet."

"I don't have to tell you my name," the girl answered petulantly.

"You don't have to," Charles agreed, "but it would be much better than calling you 'little girl' all of the time."

The girl shook her head stubbornly.

"My name is Charles," he said, holding his hand out. "Charles Xavier."

Erik made the same gesture. "And I am Erik Lensherr."

The girl shook her head before she finally shook their hands. "Tara."

"Nice to meet you." Charles smiled as the food was put onto the table. Tara wasted no time digging in while the two adults ate at a slower pace.

_'This has gone on long enough Charles,'_ Erik thought. _'We should just tell her why we're here. It is obvious that she is the other child we came here for.'_

Charles sighed. _'I suppose that it can no longer be avoided.'_ He looked at the girl sitting across from him. "Tara." The girl looked up from her French fries. "There is something that we need to discuss."

Both Charles and Erik explained what they were and why they were in Bon Temp. The even explained their suspicions about her.

At that moment Tara's eyes looked suspiciously wet, it made Charles' heart seize painfully.

_'Sookie said she wouldn't tell!'_ she thought angrily.

"Tara," Charles started, "it's alright. There is nothing wrong with you and Sookie never told me that she knew about you."

Tara looked up at him in shock. "You're like Sookie." It was a statement. Not a question.

Charles smiled hoping to soothe the distressed girl. "Yes I am."

"Stay away!" Tara screamed. She was getting out of the booth, ready to run.

"Wait please," Charles urged. He put his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Please. Just sit back down. I promise I won't read your mind again."

Tara hesitated. What is the harm of just listening?

"Just give us a moment of your time." Erik waved a hand at the seat. "If you aren't interested, then we'll leave you alone and still pay for lunch. How's that?"

Tara glared at the pair, putting them both under heavy scrutiny. She slowly sat back in her seat.

"I understand that you're confused," Charles said slowly. Tara glared at him again." I don't have to read your mind to understand the feeling. Managing your powers can be difficult and we have all been there ourselves. We know what it's like and we just want to help you."

Tara snorted. "A lot of people want to help me lately."

Charles and Erik exchanged a look. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Charles responded hesitantly.

"Nor do I," Erik said.

"Yeah right," Tara barked. ""You're all alike. You and Child's services are trying to help me into some foster home."

"You have the wrong idea about us," Erik realized. "We are not apart of Children's services."

"Yeah right," Tara muttered angrily.

"We promise we're telling you the truth." Charles said. "We spoke to your friend Sookie earlier today. There's no reason for her to go to a foster home is there?"

Tara looked thoughtful instead of angry for a moment. "Is she going?"

"We aren't sure," Erik answered honestly. "But her family and her are certainly considering."

The little girl's lips quivered. "You're really not child's services?"

At that moment, Charles became very fascinated with Tara's eyes. This was the first time since meeting Tara that she wasn't glaring at them. Her eyes were completely unguarded and vulnerable; ready to trust that whatever they told her was the truth.

Charles smiled. "I promise that all we do is run a school in New York. It was a boarding school of sorts, but is not some orphanage or foster care. All we want to do is help you with your powers."

"And you have a power too?" Tara asked Erik.

Erik nodded.

Tara looked expectantly.

Erik noticed. "Would you like a demonstration?" Tara nodded.

Charles raised one hand to his forehead. "Before you begin my friend, I should make sure you are not spotted."

Erik nodded. Soon all of the other people in the diner stopped moving; completely frozen in time. Erik took his queue and moved one of the metal trash cans in the establishment.

Tara jumped up in shock. _'It's moving!'_ She turned around, finally taking notice of a man who had tripped and frozen in mid-fall. She screamed.

"It's alright," Charles responded soothingly. "They're just temporarily frozen at the moment. They can't see or hear anything that we're doing or saying."

Tara looked around. Except for her and them, no one else was moving. "So… they're still alive?"

Charles nodded.

Tara narrowed her eyes. "You did this." It wasn't a question.

"Yes I did," Charles admitted. "And the trashcan was Erik's doing."

Tara looked thoughtful for a moment. "Could Sookie do this too?" Tara asked, waving her hands around.

"I'm not exactly sure," Charles answered hesitantly. "I have met other telepaths who have had abilities different from my own. It's possible that this something Sookie could do. Or maybe not."

Tara nodded in understanding. "Can I show you something?"

Both men nodded. "There's nothing wrong with showing off once in a while," Erik said.

Tara nervously bit his lips before closing her eyes. Erik and Charles gasped when the girl disappeared from their sight.

Erik quickly stood up from her seat. "Where did she go?" He asked urgently.

"She's still here Eirk," Charles answered with a smile. A fork was lifted off the table by an invisible Tara. Tara laughed before she finally reappeared. The people soon began to move again; everything was back to normal.

Erik sat back in his seat like nothing happened. Charles and he looked at Tara expectantly. "What do you say to our offer?"

Tara looked hesitant for a moment, looking down at the table. Eventually she looked back at the two men and grinned.

"So when should I pack?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Hank? How is our progress?"

"We're doing very good on time Professor," answered a blue, fuzzy man answered from in front of the X-Jet. Hank, A.K.A Beast was currently piloting the Jet to New Orleans. "At this rate, we will make it there in a few seconds. Do you know who it is we're looking for?"

Charles nodded. "He's somewhere down in the city, causing chaos."

Hank looked towards him. "Should we be worried?"

"I don't think so," Charles answered, "Remy is only a child."

Raven smiled. "So that's the kid's name Charles."

Charles looked at his sister. He noticed that after Cuba, his sister seemed to take more pride in her true form, choosing more often than not to stay in her naturally blue skin. Charles was very proud that her insecurities seemed to be a thing of the past.

"Yes Raven," Charles, "At least when he's not calling himself Gambit."

Sean, who sat behind Raven, decided to join the conversation, "So what is his power."

Charles shrugged. "Not exactly sure."

Erik raised his eyebrow. "You don't know Charles? I thought that you would be able to tell the powers of anyone using your telepathy?"

Charles shrugged again. "I probably could," he admitted, "but that- more often then not- takes more probing than I'm comfortable with. This boy is a stranger to me after all."

Erik nodded, accepting the answer.

* * *

><p>In a dark room, a large group of people were in a large room. Eight of these people were sitting in the a circular table while, in front of them, two lone figures stood. These ten figures were then surrounded by a large crowd that stood by, watching the preceedings.<p>

"We should further investigate these people," said the taller figure standing in front of the panel.

The panel were looking at few photographs and files taken by many servants that they had in their employ. These figures were of a group of humans and in the files were the information they had on them, which was very little, but considering these were taken from the human's American government, that may not be too surprising.

"What do we know of them?" One from the panel asked.

"Nothing particularly useful," the other person standing in front of the council answered. "All we really know are their names and some of their history and whatever was witnessed of their abilities. One of them, the metal mover known as Erik Lensherr, I have no idea where he came from. All I know for sure about him is that he was a Holocaust survivor and that is only evident by a brand on his left arm. It is unknown which camp he was held in, but that is not too surprising. These Nazis as they were called, were known not to keep records of these prisoners."

The panel spared each other shared looks of suspicion and exasperation. What was it with these governments and their lack of information of their own people? Idiots.

"They have no ties to any agencies or anything of the sort. The girl known as Raven Darklom was said to have been adopted into the Xavier family, but I cannot find any adoption records to prove that. I cannot even find a birth certificate for her."

"So in other words you have absolutely nothing?" One of the panel members, a female, snapped.

"Yes," responded the taller person standing directly in front of the panel. "Which is all the more reason why we should do further investigation of these people. Perhaps capture them so that we may be able to interrogate them."

"I do not feel that that is necessary," the shorter person responded. "These people have done nothing to show us that they mean us any harm. We have no reason to even believe that they know of our existence."

"Done nothing to prove themselves a threat to us?" The taller person asked sceptically. "Returning missiles to fire unto their enemies has not been enough proof? What about reading minds? Or taking the shape of others? What about the weapon that is Alex Summers? Not threatening enough for you yet Godric?"

"Eric...," the one known as Godric growled threatening.

"I mean no disrespect," Eric said quietly, bowing his head to the one next to him, before turning back to the panel. "But we must act. We do not know for sure that they are not a threat to us. And even if they are not a threat to us, what of the others like them? We have no way of truly knowing. We should question them. At least so that we can be certain."

The panel looked thoughtfully to each other.

"That certainly sounds reasonable," the one sitting in the center of the panel answered. "These mortals will continued to be observed until we finally decide that it is time to make contact. We will reconvene in two weeks time."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

* * *

><p>A boy ran throughout the streets of New Orleans, down into the French Quarter.<p>

"Come back here you little bastard?" Yelled a man, a shopkeeper who was running after the boy. "Come back here with that!"

The boy, Remy, didn't even look back. Only continued to run until he was sure that the shopkeeper could no longer see him and then ran into an alley. He leaned against one of the sides of the alley and sighed. _'I got away,'_ he thought to himself before he took out one of the treats that made up his stolen goods, a chocolate chip cookie. He brought the cookie closer to his lips; bent on devouring his prize.

But someone else has other thoughts.

Remy didn't even notice the others until he was being grabbed by a pair of long arms in a rough embrace that made him drop his cookie. Remy struggled against the arms.

"Well, well." A man walked in front of Remy, taking in the sight. The little boy stiffened at the sound of that voice. The man holding him looked down at Remy with distaste. "Glad to have you back Remy," the man said. "It has been so long." the man turned to the one that was holding Remy hostage. "Get him in the car." Remy struggled against the grip, but it was no use.

* * *

><p>Charles, Erik and the rest of the team, recently christened the X-men got off the X-Jet. Hank had successfully landed the jet just outside of the French Quarter and right next to the Mississippi River. The cloaking device on the jet was activated. The two adults turned towards their young charges.<p>

"Alright everyone," Charles said. "We are about to walk into the city."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Raven sarcastically answered.

Charles smiled sadly. "Unfortunately this is a time where we must be serious. We must travel to the into the French Quarter. And we must leave quickly."

"What's the matter?" Sean asked.

"Remy's mind was in distressed," Charles said gravely. "I think he's in trouble. Even now he seems to still be in distressed so it's imperative that we find him."

"Can you tell us exactly where he is Charles?" Erik asked.

Charles became thoughtful before shaking his head. "I don't know... I could track his mind to find him if I were close enough for that but... for some reason he seems to be moving very quickly out of my range."

Hank nodded his head. "What exactly do we do now Professor?"

"I'm hoping that once we reach the French Quarter he'll be back in my range," Charles explained.

"Then hopefully you'll be able to give us a location," Erik said, finishing the thought.

Charles nodded. "Exactly. But we need to move quickly. He just seems to be going farther and farther away."

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Alex asked.

The team came up with a quick plan. Charles used his telepathy to change the way other people view him so that no one would notice his blue fur and Raven shape-shifted back into her blonde hair and blue eyes. Not wanting to attract unwanted attention, they all, except Alex and Sean, quickly changed into their civilian clothes before the headed over to the French Quarter. Once they where within the city they split up to cover more ground; Hank and Raven went one way, Sean flew throughout the area while holding Alex by his arms. Erik and Charles quickly walked towards the area that Charles was last able to read Remy's mind. It led them to a candy store. Both men walked into the empty store. The shopkeeper was the only one inside and he stood behind the counter reading the local newspaper. "Hello," Charles called.

The shopkeeper looked up from his paper and smiled. "Well hello there," the man said with a southern accent. "Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Yes," Charles said with a smile. "Earlier today a young man came into your store and stole from you. You chased him out but you never got your products back. I'm here to pay for whatever the young boy may has taken and I was wondering if you may have seen him again?"

The shopkeepers smile became more strained. "Oh, well that won't be necessary."

"Oh please I insist," Charles said, taking out his wallet. "Now how much did he steal?"

"That isn't necessary." The shopkeeper explained. "That young man's father already came in here earlier. He took care of paying for it." Erik and Charles shared a look.

"Mr. LeBeau must have forgotten to mention that," Charles said almost absentmindedly. "Thank you. Have a good day." The shopkeeper nodded and waved as the two men finally left the store.

"Very smooth Charles," Erik said. "I didn't think that you had it in you to lie like that."

"Well I do my best," Charles said. "Never know when I have to be able to think of a quick one on the sly."

"And we still don't know anything that will help us find the boy," Erik growled.

"Ah, but we do Erik," Charles quickly explained. "That shopkeeper told us that he already met Remy's father. What he didn't tell us- at least out loud anyway- was that the man that claimed to be Remy's father had shown up to that store and paid for the stolen items an hour _before_ Remy stole those items."

"So someone set the lad up," Erik said.

"Exactly." Charles agreed. "I have a bad feeling... we must find him quickly."

"Can you sense him now?" Erik asked

Charles nodded. "Faintly... he's projecting his fear quite loudly but he's moving far out of the district. We must be quick if we hope to catch up."

With that thought in mind, Charles quickly contacted the team telepathically and told them to make it back to the jet. All members ran quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

Remy LeBeau was scared. He knew that the moment he was grabbed after getting away with all that food that he had finally been caught. One of the men that had grabbed him had tied him up in the car and put a gag in his mouth so that he couldn't scream while he watched him in the back of the car. The other one was driving the car. Gambit knew where they were taking him and he didn't want to go back. He'd rather have kept living on the streets before going back. Going back was bound to be the death of him. Remy sobbed.

The man that was in the back noticed and smiled maliciously. _"Vous devriez __être très peur petit garçon (1).__"_ The mans thick accent identified him as a Cajun. "Especially when de Guild master gets his hands on y'. Y' should've showed some respek. Should've been more thankful for everythin he did fo' y'."

The boy closed his eyes tightly. If it wasn't so close to crying he would have been snorting in amusement. _'Did for me? More like he was using me to do for himself.'_

"Count your blessing _petit garçon (2)_, because for some reason, he don't wanna kill you like he would most traitors."

"_Voulez- vous arrêter de parler? (3)_" Called the driver. _"__Vous êtes effrayer le garçon_! (4)"

The man in the back just shrugged. "_Il devrait par puer. Les hommes ont été tues pour moins. (5)_"

Remy closed his eyes. He understood what the man said and it was true. Men have been killed for a lot less. Most people certainly have not escaped from the Thieves Guild and lived to tell about it. But that did not make him feel lucky about his fate.

_'Quelqu'un m'aider... s'il vous plaît. (6)'_

* * *

><p><em>'Quelqu'un m'aider... s'il vous plaît.' <em>It was the thought that Charles had heard from Remy. Although Charles did not understand French, he had a good idea about what the boy was saying. Remy was in danger and he certain knew it.

_'Please hold on Remy,'_ Charles projected to the boy. _'I promise that help is on the way. Stay strong. We'll come get you.'_

Raven began to notice the sad look in Charles' eyes. "What's happening Charles? It's Remy isn't it?

Charles nodded. "He's terrified... and I'm not sure what I can do to quell his fears. We have to find him as soon as possible."

"We will Charles," Raven said. "We'll save him."

Erik walked over to the siblings and took a seat next to Charles. "She right you know," Erik said.

Alex who overheard the conversation nodded. "Yeah, we'll get there before anythings happens to him and kick some bad guy ass at the same time."

Sean nodded.

"I would have phrased it differently," Hank said. "But I concur with Alex."

Alex began to have a coughing fit that sounded a lot like "Smart ass."

"Just tell us where they'll be stopping Charles and we'll handle it," Erik answered determinedly.

Charles looked around in the team and new family that was recently created. They really could do it.

_'Everything will be alright Remy.'_

* * *

><p>Remy's eyes were closed when the car finally stopped. By the time one of the men had pulled him out of the car he had calmed significantly.<p>

_'Everything will be alright Remy.'_

Remy didn't know who that voice belonged to. All he knew was that it was a strange voice he had heard and it seemed to make him feel better.

The man that was in the backseat roughly pulled the boy out of the car and shoved him. "_Allons! (__7)_" Remy fell on the ground. The man that was driving helped him up from the ground and guided him to the large house that stood proudly, almost ominously, in the woody area. Remy was dragged into the house, where the men pushed him up the stairs. Remy knew who they were taking him to, and the thought alone made him want to cry again.

Except that voice continued to comfort him. The person kept telling him things would be okay.

_'We'll be there soon. We'll get you out of there... all you need to do is imagine where you are with your mind so that I can tell the others where you are.'_

The voice was soothing. Remy opened his eyes, hoping to see who it was telling him that. Remy saw no one else except the two men that walked behind him. It couldn't be them. As the voice continued to comfort him, an image of a man with blue eyes began to emerge in his mind. Is he the one that keeps talking in to Remy?

_'Yes.'_

_ 'Who are y'?'_ Remy asked.

_'My name is Charles Xavier,'_ the voice answered. _'Don't be scared. I am talking to your mind right now. I'm special, like you.'_

_'Like me?' _As strange as it was, it made Remy feel better to know that he wasn't the only one who was a freak.

_'Not a freak,'_ Charles admonished. _'Just special. Quite extraordinary, but never a freak. A mutant.'_

_'Like dat sounds any bettuh,'_ Remy thought to himself. One of the guys who had tied him up grabbed him by the arm and pushed him into through an open door that led to some stairs that he almost fell down. Looked like a basement. The two guys quickly followed and pushed him towards some chains, igniting his fears. Remy struggled against their grip, fearing what they would do to him... what he would do to him...

Despite his struggling, they managed to chain his hands above his head. They also strapped a metal collar around his neck that connected to a nearby wall before they turned and left. Remy was trapped; couldn't get away now. This scared him. Even when Charles tried to comfort him.

_'Help me,'_ Remy begged. _'Please Charles.'_

_'I'm coming Remy. I promise that I will come for you. Please tell me where you are right now. Who has you? You just have to _send_ his image to me... I'll stop him.'_

Remy did his best to think the image of the man who was doing this to him... Scar on his face... brown eyes... cigarette... Remy felt better knowing Charles was coming for him. If only he would just hurry.

Remy suddenly felt tired; so sleepy. He decided to close his eyes and just give in.

* * *

><p>"Alright we're close now," Hank said. "We're minutes away from landing."<p>

Charles nodded his head. They were close and he could feel it. That's why he was able to make Remy fall asleep the way he did. He looked at the man he considered his partner in crime of sorts. "Are you ready for this?"

Erik raised an eyebrow at the question. It was the same question Charles had asked him in Cuba, Erik remembered with a pang. "Let's find out."

Hank landed the X-Jet. It was time to talk to the team before they went in. Everyone needed to understand that this had to be done in a certain way.

"Alright everyone." All of them looked at Charles; their unofficial leader. "This is really important that we all understand that this is a rescue mission only. I just want to get in, get Remy and get out. I will be guiding all of you with my mind and once Remy is recovered, I will handle the men inside." Charles didn't have to explain further; they knew exactly what he was capable of. "Is that understood?" Everyone nodded. It was time to go.

* * *

><p>Remy sat in the cell, waiting for the inevitable. Tears of frustration slid down his dirt covered cheeks. <em>'Where is Charles?' <em>Remy asked. He promised that he would save Remy; get him away from here.

_'It's all in y' mind,' _the traitorous side of his young mind thought. _'Charles was nevuh real. You made him up... you're goin crazy.'_

Remy angrily shook the thought away. Charles was real. He was like Remy and they were special. Charles would come and get him out of here and save him. He had to. Remy angrily wiped the tears away. Charles _will_ come.

At that moment, the basement door opened. The two men who had grabbed him earlier were coming down the stairs. He felt his skin get cold, knowing just what kind of trouble he was in at the moment. As those footsteps got closer, Remy struggled harder to get out of his restraints, but to no avail. By the time those men where standing in front of him, he was no closer to escaping than he was before.

One of the men forcibly grabbed him while the other released him from the chains before handcuffing his hands behind his back. "He would like to see you now," the second man whispered harshly into his ear. Remy whimpered.

"Jus' hurry dis up so we can go." The first man said, pushing Remy up the stairs. Remy tried to run but no matter what he tried, it never seemed to be enough to get away from his jailers, who herded him up the stairs. _'Charles help me!'_ Remy thought fiercely, hoping the man in his vision would just materilalize in front him at that very moment.

_'Don't worry Remy.'_ An image of the very back forest of the mansion he was being held prisoner showed up. Charles was already here? Remy barely held in a sigh of relief. Other images started coming in front of his eyes. Images of different people, some of which didn't look like anything he had ever seen. Did they have blue skin? _They will come to help you. There are like us as well. Don't be frightened by them. They will come during the dusk, when the sun is almost down. Be brave... we will be there._

Knowing that his rescuers were so close to him made him feel better. All he had to do was get through the very end of the day and then he would be able to get out of here. _'Tank you.'_

A warm feeling seemed to bloom from nowhere inside of him. _'Think nothing of it. Be brave until we get there.'_

Remy wasn't sure if he could be brave. The man that he would be facing was scary, was the leader of one of the most powerful guilds in Louisiana and could kill him if he didn't do what he wanted.

But Charles would come and save him. That means that everything would be alright. That was what he kept telling himself until his guards opened a door and pushed him inside before closing the same door behind them. Remy had barely kept himself from falling on the floor. As soon as he was done straightening himself up, he noticed the man that sat in a large chair, behind a large wooden desk. With his gelled back dark hair, his expensive suit, Jean-Luc Lebeau looked liked an ordinary business man, nothing like a leader of a crime syndicate should look, even with the scars on his face. Unless you've been around him long enough, you would never recognize the dangerous glint in his eyes. The one that old you revealed his guise as a terrible hoax; that the eyes belonged to a man that was hiding in sheep's clothing.

"Glad t' have y' back," Jean-Luc said, maliciously, "son."

_'Really? Because I ain't glad t' be back.' _Remy wished that he had the courage to say that out loud, but he didn't. Not with Jean-Luc looking at him like that. No, silence was really the best policy when dealing with Jean-Luc.

"I can't say I ain't disappointed with y' Remy," Jean-Luc continued. "Aftuh y' tried t' rob me, I welcomed y' int' my home as m' own. Fo' seven years, I raised y' right next with m' own son an' this is how y' goin t' pay back my kindness?"

"Kindness?" Remy guffawed. "Just because y' made my go with y', don't mean y' treated m' with kindness. You only kept m' around so y' could use m'. I nevuh aksed t' be part of y' family," Remy spat without a second thought.

Jean-Luc said nothing. He just looked behind Remy, at one of the men that stood behind him. Suddenly, Remy felt a sharp pain in his head and fell, face first, to the ground.

"You should learn t' be tankful fo' everythin I evuh did fo' y'," Jean-Luc said, anger lacing his words. "I saw somethin useful in y' and I took y' off dem streets." Jean-Luc got out of his seat and stood in front Remy's crumpled figure. "I told y' dat y' would do m' biddin and I meant it." Jean-Luc then addressed the men that had brought Remy into the room. "Take him t' de othuh basement. Y' know the one I mean. Time t' teach Remy a lesson."

Remy looked up from the ground at Jean-Luc. _'Not dat room. Anythin but dat.'_ Remy felt the men's grip on him, so he grabbed Jean-Luc's clothing to make sure he wasn't dragged out. "Please no! Please don't let dem take m'!" The men started gripping him harder, pulling him harder. "_Mo chagren(8)_! I promise t' be good. I promise y', just please." Remy's fingers slipped from the material of Jean-Luc's pants. Remy felt hot tears slide down his eyes. "_Mo chagren_!"

Jean-Luc said nothing, only watched silently as the men grabbed the boy from the floor with open disgust. All that crying and whining. At Remy's age, Jean-Luc knew how to take his punishment silently.

Pathetic.

* * *

><p>Charles almost jerked out his wheelchair. Erik walked over, concern marring his hard features. "Charles?"<p>

"Remy is in more trouble than I thought," Charles said, not bothering to explain further before he addressed the rest of the team. "We have to move now!"

Erik quickly looked out of the window. The sun had just finished setting; it wouldn't be long before it was gone completely. He mentally shrugged, no time better than the present. "X-men move out!"

No one, except Raven, moved to do what Erik had ordered. The boys seemed to ignore him and looked towards Charles and, considering the events that took place before, Erik couldn't say that he was surprised. They were still resentful about what happened.

On the other hand, Charles was not having any of it at the moment. "X-men move out!"

* * *

><p>NOTE: This is the lists of translations for French. I used Google translate so if I got something wrong, I apologize but please, take it with a grain of salt.<p>

_Vous devriez __être très peur petit garçon: _You should be very scared little boy

_petit garçon: _Little boy

_Voulez- vous arrêter de parler?: _Will you stop talking?

_Vous êtes effrayer le garçon_!: You are scaring the boy!

_Il devrait par puer. Les hommes ont été tues pour moins: _He should be scared. Men have been killed for less.

_Quelqu'un m'aider... s'il vous plaît:_ Someone help me... please

_Allons!_: Go!

_Mo chagren:_ I'm sorry


	6. Chapter 6

Jean- Luc sat in the chair in front of his desk, drinking a glass of his favorite wine. The whole day has been infuriating as of late, and he felt that he definitely deserved this little bit of time to indulge himself; especially after dealing with that little traitor, Remy.

Just thinking about Remy made him want to go down to that basement and beat the living daylights out of that boy himself, but he knew he couldn't. Ever since that little brat had tried to steal from his pockets nearly eight years ago, he knew he was special. Jean- Luc remembered it like it was yesterday. He had been so angry at the time. This little four year old boy thought that he could get away with taking from his pockets. He had been ready to kill the kid himself at the time, but he saw something change in Remy's eyes. Instead of staying their regular brown color, Remy's eyes seemed to have changed and became darker, all of a sudden he had blood red pupils. Jean- Luc saw a power in there; a power that he knew he had to have for himself and so, he adopted the boy as his own son. Jean- Luc was never able to explain it when someone asked why he did what he did, and he never saw that power in Remy's eyes again, but it doesn't matter. He knew what he saw and now it was too late; he had put too much time, effort and money into training Remy. He would be damned before he let all this careful planning go completely to waste. Besides, there were some associates, that had shown interest in Remy.

Jean- Luc took another sip of his wine and continued to think. That boy has already started proving himself to be a problem. He'll learn that lesson soon enough in that basement. The man nodded to himself, satisfied that the situation had been properly handled. As he was about to take a sip of his wine, one of his men barged into his office. "What de hell is de meanin of dis?"

"Suh," one of his subordinates said. "Dere's someone who's attackin. We need ta get outta here."

"Wah?" Jean- Luc asked angrily. "Who dares to attack de Dieve's Guild? We ain't runnin', we gonna deal with dem."

"But suh," the first subordinate said. "Dese people ain't attackin like normal. Dey ain't usin weapons like guns or knives."

"Den what de hell is de problem?" Jean- Luc growled. "Just kill dem, like I pay you to do!"

"Boss," one of the men stuttered. "Dey ain't attackin with weapons I ain't never seen. One of dem looked like a diable with her blue, scaly skin. We need to get you outta here boss."

_'Diable? What de hell are they smoking'?'_ Jean-Luc was beyond pissed. Who de hell dared to attack him in his home? Whoever it was would have to be dealt with. "Fine," he growled. "We're gonna deal with dem now. If you see anyone who don't work for me, kill dem on site! I don't give a damn, just do it." The men, startled by the reaction of their leader, quickly left to follow the order without question. Whoever these people were, they would regret the day they came across Jean-Luc LeBeau.

* * *

><p>Erik rushed into the mansion with his comrades. The sun was set, dusk had settled. They had the element of surprise and now it was time to use it to their advantage. One of the thugs had attempted to shoot him with a handgun. Erik took great pleasure in turning their own weapons against them, in wrapping the cold, metal gates around them. He felt nothing when they yelped in pain or begged for mercy when they were caught. People who hurt and abuse children should get exactly what they deserve. Had it been up to him they would have probably been killed on site.<p>

But it wasn't up to him. Although Charles hadn't really addressed it directly, Erik just knew he would not approve of the killing. If it could be avoided, then it should be avoided. Charles wouldn't want anyone's death on his conscience. Instead, Erik hit his would be attacker with the butt of the gun. This wasn't what he was here for. _'Where is he Charles?'_

Erik waited for the voice to answer. A red beam, obviously Alex, obliterated the doors that kept them from getting inside the estate. As if they were capable of keeping someone like Havok out if he really wanted to get in.

'_Remy is inside of the basement Erik.'_

Basement? Where? In a building this size, a basement will take too much time to find. Before Erik even began to communicate this with Charles, an image was implanted into his skull. A dark, dank basement with Remy hanging, his toes barely touching the ground. The poor boy's wrists were tied with chains hanging from the ceiling. Erik furiously watched as a grown man held a whip, beating the boy on his naked back. _'They all deserve to pay for this...'_

'_Now is not the time for that Erik! Remy needs help right now!'_ Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. Erik turned, readying himself to attack the fool who had grabbed him, but stopped at soon as he saw the person he knew he was in no danger. It still shocked him to see him like this.

Charles was standing right behind him, he looked like he had before Cuba. If Erik didn't know better, he would have thought that the event on that beach never really happened. But he knew better than that. The person standing in front of him was just an illusion; an image created by Charles' powerful mind. "Beast, please take care of these men. Erik and I will be going in another direction.

The blue furry mutant threw himself at the men who were attacking. "That's not a problem professor."

Satisfied that Beast and the rest of their comrades had everything under control, Charles and Erik ran to rescue the little boy in the basement.

* * *

><p>The crack of a whip came slamming down on his back. Remy continued to scream. He was in so much pain. Where was Charles? Charles was supposed to make the pain stop. He just wanted the pain to stop. <em>'Please make de pain stop! Why isn't Charles here yet?'<em>

_'Because he was nev'r real,' _answered a darker part of Remy's mind. _'He was just a voice dat you imagined. He was nev'r real.'_

_'No... Charles said dat he was like me...'_

_'Charles lied. Ya lied t' ya'self so ya wouldn't be de only freak.' _Remy never got the chance to answer because the whip hit him so hard he lost his thought. By the time the last burn from the whip made it on his back, Remu was turned into a red, snotty, crying mess. Remu closed his eyes. His pain was so real.

_'Remy stay with me...'_

Remy opened his brown eyes. _'Charles...?'_

_'Yes. I promised that you are not alone. We're coming. We will be there soon, please stay strong.'_

'_Tank God...'_ Remy never took thought he believed a god until that very moment. Charles had to be a guardian angel. God was the only way to explain how Charles came to save him just as he was in harm's way. The whip came to bite him on the back again. Remy yelled in agony. The man who was whipping him began to laugh maniacally. Words seemed to be coming from his mouth, but Remy was in too much pain to be able to hear them; Remy didn't even hear them when they started screaming in pain.

* * *

><p>'<em>That is exactly what they deserve,'<em> Erik thought. Charles said nothing about the thought, silently agreeing with him. It wasn't as if Erik had killed them or anything. Let them live in pain for now. Erik immediately noticed the young boy in the middle of the room, his arms tied to chains over his head. His clothes were rags that were barely covering his body. His back was the worst site to take in. His back was basically one, big, bloody wound that was dripping to floor. Just looking made Erik want to go back over there and kill those pathetic men. How dare they laugh at this boy's pain.

'_Erik,'_ Charles said to him. _'Please calm your mind. I know it is difficult, but you must leave those men be. Right now you need to only focus on getting Remy safely onto the jet.'_

Erik took a breath. Charles was right, Remy was the only being of importance right now. With a flick of Erik's wrist, the chains around Remy untangled from the boy's wrist. The boy fell into Erik's waiting hands. Both Erik and Charles walked out of the room as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>Jean- Luc couldn't believe what the hell was happening. These freaks... these diable... are making a mockery of his men. They all came out of nowhere. No matter what someone seems to be doing, it doesn't seem to be working. As much as he hated to do so, Jean- Luc knew that he needed to retreat and just go to the second location that the Thieves' Guild had set up. The man sighed. No one was going to like this... but maybe if he brought the boy, he could probably salvage the situation. It wouldn't be a complete loss.<p>

Jean- Luc signalled to his men that were closest to him to get Remy before he ran out of the building. Once he was outside, he walked briskly towards the helicopter. Jean- Luc opened the passenger side door. Just when he was about to get into the helicopter, he saw at two men in blue and yellow suits come out of the house. Jean- Luc had to do a double take when he saw that one of them was carrying Remy. Jean- Luc growled, _'Ova my dead body are dey takin' him!'_ Jean- Luc took his gun out of his holster and cocked it. With a yell, he ran over to the men with his gun out. "Let go of de boy!" Jean-Luc yelled.

The men and Remy turned towards Jean- Luc. The leader of the Thieves Guild noted, with great satisfaction, that Remy gasped fearfully, especially when he saw the gun that was aimed in his general direction. On the other hand, the man holding Remy gave him as much attention as one would give to an annoying fly, while the other man just continued to walk into the aircraft. Jean- Luc was beyond angry; these stupid men acted like they didn't notice the gun he was holding. Did they not know who he was? Or did they just want to die? "De boy is not goin' anywhere," Jean- Luc growled.

The man holding Remy smiled sardonically. "Is that so?" Jean- Luc watched when the man laid the injured boy to the ground. Jean- Luc would have felt that he had won, except that even with a gun aimed at him, the other man acted like he was the one in control of the situation.

"Damn righ it is!" Jean- Luc answered, cocked, his index finger ready to pull that trigger. The man laughed. Jean- Luc was aggravated by the stranger's attitude. He growled and decided that it was time to send this devil on his way to hell. Jean- Luc pulled the trigger and released the bullet.

The man smirked maliciously, then a strange hand movement. The bullet suddenly stopped in midair almost like magic. Jean- Luc watched with horror filled fascinations the bullet altered its path and made its way towards HIM. Jean- Luc began to fear for his life; there was no way he could outrun the bullet, so he closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>Erik watched the man who tried to shoot him began to cower as the bullet turned on him. The metal- kinetic couldn't help but think that the man standing in front of him was a pathetic human being. He was the one who kidnapped and abused Remy, and now the man feared for his own life. Where the hell was all of this feeling for that poor boy? The man truly was a pathetic waste of space whose existence should be extinguished.<p>

'_Erik no!'_ Charles yelled in his mind. _'I know it is hard but don't killed him, you promised.'_

Erik remembered the promise. It was a promise that he made to Charles after Raven and he decided to leave the Brotherhood and come back home. It was the only reason that Erik wasn't going to kill the piece of filth. Erik used his power to move the bullet. The man yelled when the bullet his his arm. Erik paid him no mind, he just picked Remy off of the ground and walked into the X-Jet.

* * *

><p>Jean- Luc cried out in pain. The bullet had hit him in the arm. He was relieved that it was only a flesh wound; Jean- Luc knew that the man was responsible for this and that he was lucky to still be alive. But he also knew that that if he didn't get Remy back, that his luck would definitely run out. The people he answered to wanted the boy and made it very clear that they were not happy that he lost the boy the last time. He knew he was already walking a very thin line with them.<p>

For that reason, Jean- Luc picked up his gun with his uninjured hand. He jogged towards the jet the man disappeared into, aiming his gun inside the jet. Jean- Luc hoped that if he shot all of the bullets at random, he may be able to catch the man by surprise and grab Remy before he could do anything to him.

Before Jean- Luc could release a bullet, his world went completely back.

* * *

><p>Charles smiled at Erik when he walked into the jet with Remy. He was proud of his friend. That man had been the one to orchestrate Remy's kidnapping and Erik didn't kill him in retaliation; Charles was really proud of him.<p>

Remy looked at the wheelchair bound professor in the wonder. "Charles?" the boy asked hesitantly. Remy had seen Charles when he was in the basement, but he had been barely conscious at the time. He had seemed like a dream.

Charles smiled sadly. After everything Remy had went through, not just today, but all those years- on and off- with the Thieves Guild, of course he needed some reassurance. "Yes Remy," he said. "I'm here."

With that, Remy seemed to have gained his strength back. The boy jumped out of Erik's arms and ran buried himself right into Charles' waiting arms. Charles and Erik shared a look over Remy's head.

'_Thank you,'_ Charles said. Erik seemed to understand what Charles meant and shrugged.

'_It was nothin_g,'Erik answered.

'_It was something to me,'_ Charles countered. A comfortable silence came between them. It was a moment before anyone said anything else.

'_You should probably call the others back,'_ Erik pointed out. _'We got what we come for after all.'_

Charles nodded. They had saved Remy and almost all of the Thieves' Guild had run away. There was no reason to remain in this place. Charles managed to turn his wheelchair around and deposit Remy into one of the seats. It seems the boy had fallen asleep at some point. The poor boy needed all the rest he could get.

Charles was about to telepathically call the others back, when he paused. Erik tensed, sensing something with his own powers.

The cocking of a gun.

The man who had tried to attack from outside, was staring into the jet, pointing a gun at Erik's back. _'Erik behind you!' _Charles projected.

Before the man could pull the trigger, Charles attacked his mind. The gunman yelled in agony.

_As soon as Charles used his powers, knowledge filled him. The man's name was Jean- Luc, he was the leader of the Thieves' Guild; a secret organization of thieves that has been around for hundreds of years. Jean- Luc was Remy's abusive adopted father. _

_Then the images came. At first the images were of Remy- of the first time they had met, during the training Remy received when he was apart of the Guild, to the moment Remy ran away. All of the abuse that Remy went through made Charles' blood boil with anger. But there was more. _

_Other images… a strange, dark place. A tunnel maybe. Seven people, sitting behind a semi- round table. _

"_Jean- Luc," called the man in the center. From the way the others deferred to him, it was very obvious that he was the one in charge. "You really put us in a bind."_

"_Bind is putting it lightly." The man who spoke was a bald, African- American looking man in his mid to late forties._

"_You lost the boy!" The voice gave Charles a great start- could that have truly been a child?_

"_Yea," said a female's southern drawl. "You really fucked that up."_

"_No pleas'," Jean- Luc begged desperately. "I'll fix dis."_

_A female, one different from the one who spoke earlier, laughed mockingly. Charles felt a shiver run down his spine. "Fix this? The boy managed to escape your custody. How can you possibly fix this?"_

_The leader growled angrily. Charles watched as his canines, elongated; went from being quite beast- like. "That boy has a power that needs to be controlled! You better find him! Your life depends on it," he growled._

_The other people sitting at the table growled as well. One by one, there teeth became longer and sharper. These normal looking, almost nondescript people, became the very things nightmares are made of._

_After looking at this group of predators, Jean- Luc would do anything to avoid being the prey._

Charles quickly withdrew from Jean- Luc's ravaged mind. The leader of the Thieves' Guild fell unconscious. Charles took no notice of the crumpled figure- or anything at all really. Erik had no idea what to make of the other man's change of demeanor.

"Charles?"

"We need to get out of here." Charles used his telepathy to summon the X- men back into the jet.

Erik threw Jean- Luc outside of the aircraft. "What's wrong?"

Charles made sure Remy was buckled into a seat. "I fear that this is much more complicated than we had originally thought." Before he could explain more, Alex, Hank, Raven and Sean entered the jet. Everyone strapped themselves to their seats.

As Hank started the engines Erik began to feel a familiar pressure on his head.

'_I promise to explain when we're safely back home my friend.'_

Erik mentally growled. _'You had better Lab Rat.'_ Erik relaxed in his seat. Now that he knew that Charles would eventually tell him what had the telepath so spooked.

As the jet left the area, Charles couldn't help but look back, knowing in his heart that something terrible was about to happen.

* * *

><p>A fleet of dark, sleek cars drove onto Jean- Luc's property. The cars parked just inside of the gate. The passengers got out and waited. After a few moments, they realized that the owner of the house was not coming to meet them.<p>

"How much do ya wanna bet that the human fucked up again?" A female southern drawled. A middle-aged woman with short, red hair.

"He better not have," A young boy physically under the age of ten years whispered. "Roman looks murderous tonight."

The leader of this group, Roman, a middle- aged white man growled. An attractive woman who looked to be in her late twenties early thirties placed a hand on Roman's shoulder. She had long, brown curls pinned on her head and blood red lips.

Roman rushed into the mansion at an unbelievable pace, shirking off the land on his shoulder. The entourage, including the woman, can into the house. After searching the house for any of the occupants, and finding no one. the ten people ran into the backyard.

The beings noticed that some of the guards were unconscious. Soon they manage to find their host, they owner of the house.

Roman nudged Jean- Luc with the tip of his shoe. The man on the ground began the regain consciousness. It took a few moments for Jean- Luc to become aware of his surroundings. "Hello Jean- Luc."

Jean- Luc practically jumped off the ground he had been laying on. _'No,'_ he thought in dread. '_Dey're here.'_ and Jean- Luc took a good look, painfully aware that he didn't have what his associates wanted.

Roman took an over-dramatized look at the backyard. "Funny," he said in a dangerously low voice, "I don't see the boy out here. Perhaps he's inside the house? What do you think Salome?"

The woman with brown curls focused her cold glance on Jean- Luc. "I think the boy better be for Jean- Luc's sake."

The aforementioned man began to sweat profusely. "Please…"

"I believe that means that he failed again." A young woman with shoulder length, brown hair and blue eyes linked arms with Salome.

"I do believe you're right Nora," A dark skinned man remarked.

"I thought that you said you had the boy when you called earlier Jean- Luc." Roman circled around the human.

"I- I did," Jean- Luc whispered, "but I can explain. Remy was taken, de people… de were like de boy. I-"

"What?" Roman yelled. The others became more alert, more serious. Roman grabbed Jean- Luc by the front of his shirt and looked into his eyes. "Tell me exactly what happened here tonight."

Jean- Luc became quite calm. All his fears seemed to dissolve into thin air. Funny how he remembered being so afraid before…

He told them what they wanted to know; about the freaks that broke into his house, about their abilities. He even described the jet that he had seen of them go into with Remy. He told them what happened when he confronted the people in the jet; about how he looked at the man in the wheelchair caused him pain on his head before falling unconscious.

This last tidbit of information gave Roman great pause. That reminded him of something a glamour might do. He could already hear the others whispering among themselves. "Did he ask you anything?"

Jean- Luc face was completely blank. "No."

Did he say anything at all to you?"

"Nothin."

"What could this mean?" Asked a tall, older man, probably in his early sixties, with short gray streaked, brown hair.

"What it means Dieter," the woman with red hair stated, "is that the little cripple may just be a mind reader."

"A telepath," Nora supplied.

"Which means that he might know about us!" The child yelled angrily.

A heavy silence fell over the group. If there was a chance they knew about them then their element of surprise was gone.

"This may not be completely damning," the dark skinned man stated.

"How the hell do you figure Kibwe?" the red headed woman hissed venomously.

"Because Roselyn" Kibwe pointed out in a calm tone, "even if one of them is a telepath, they still don't know that we've been watching them because Jean- Luc didn't know that."

"But they could know that we were after the boy," the youngest looking one pointed out. "Wouldn't they suspect that we'll come after them to retrieve him at least?"

"Not necessarily Alexander," Kibwe said. "They may have a false sense of security. After all, Jean- Luc doesn't know who they are or where they come from. They have no reason to think we'll be able to find them."

Roman nodded in thought. Kibwe was right. There is still a way to salvage this situation. But first, it was time to take care of a loose end. Roman glared into the dazed eyes of Jean- Luc. The glamour began to wear off.

Jean- Luc became more aware of the danger that surrounded him. Fangs became elongated. Jean- Luc took one step back before Roman was upon him. Jean- Luc didn't have time to scream before Roman ripped his head from the rest of his body. Blood gushed all over Roman's impeccable suit as the last of the light in Jean- Luc's eyes faded completely. The headless body fell on the ground and Roman threw the head in disgust.

"Start cleaning up the rest of the mess," Roman ordered. The others went after the sleeping security staff. An orchestra of screams and blood splatter, could be heard. "Northman! Godric!" Two blurs rushed over to him.

"Yes Guardian?" Godric asked. He was a shorter male, with short brown hair and blue eyes. One could mistake him for a teenager.

"The time for observing is over." Roman retracted his fangs. "You will confront them. Bring at least one of them to use so that we may interrogate. I say at least one. I would prefer if all of them were brought in alive for questioning, but I understand that sometimes things happen."

Both of the people he was addressing stayed respectfully silent.

"You will take a small squad of no more than ten. Watch them until you have the perfect opportunity, then strike. I expect this done by the end of next week. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Guardian." Eric Northman was a man who looked to be about thirty years old. He was over six feet tall, had blond hair and cold blue eye that gleamed with anticipation. Finally these mutants were going to be dealt with.

"Good." Roman turned away from them, and watched. as his comrades continued with their carnage and bloodshed. Screams continued to be heard into the night.

* * *

><p>3 DAYS LATER…<p>

"Sookie and Tara!" Adele Stackhouse yelled up the stairs. She had just finished cooking and Jason was currently eating in the kitchen.

The two girls mentioned were in Sookie's bedroom, packing the last of their things in suitcases. After Tara's lunch with Charles and Erik, she ran over to Sookie's and told them everything. Adele had been understandably shocked. After all, Tara has been like another granddaughter to her, and she had no idea that she had a power as well, but looking back , it explained a lot. Tara had always been so understanding of Sookie's abilities. The revelation helped the Stackhouse matriarch make a decision about sending Sookie to that school. Those young men seemed very nice and Sookie would have a friend going with her.

"We're done Gran!" Sookie and Tara came down the stairs with the suitcases and into the kitchen. Adele looked at the nearest clock. It was now 9:50. Charles and Erik agreed to pick the girls up at 10:30. "Are you sure you have everything?"

Both girls nodded.

"Now Tara," Adele asked. "You still haven't heard anything from your mother?" After meeting the two men, Tara when home, expecting to find her mother passed out on the couch. She was surprised to see that the woman hadn't been there. Tara waited until very late in the night, but her mother didn't come home. Tara called Adele, the older woman picked her up and let her stay in the Stackhouse home. And three days later, still no sign of her mother.

Tara sadly shook her head. "No ma'am." Tara slowly went back to her breakfast. Sensing the awkward mood in the kitchen, Sookie started talking about how fun it was going to be and wondered what the other kids were going to be like Tara and Jason both joined the conversation. Adele was so busy listening to the children, she physically jumped out of her seat. It was 10:30 already? Adele walked over to the front door and opened it.

As expected, Erik and Charles were on the other side of the barrier, but with them stood five others, the youngest was a boy with shoulder length, brown hair. He looked to be around the same age as the other children.

The children rushed out of the kitchen to greet them. "Hi."

Charles smiled. "Well hello everyone. It's nice to see you all again."

"Why does he look like that?" Tara asked, pointing at Hank.

"Tara!" Adele scolded, scandalized.

"It's quite alright," Hank said, waving off the concern. He held out a furry hand. "Hank McCoy."

Adele and the children shook his hand.

"And to answer your question." Hank focused his yellow eyes on Tara. "Mine is a more physical mutation." Tara just shrugged.

"Hank is actually one of the instructors."

"Oh really?" Adele asked. Everyone came deeper inside the house and gathered around in the living room. "What subject do you teach?"

"I teach both biology and mathematics." Adele was happy to learn more about the place.

"These strapping young men are Alex and Sean. "Erik pointed at both boys respectively.

"Are they instructors as well?" Adele asked.

"No," Charles explained. "They're some of our older students."

"Older students? How exactly are the class sizes?" Adele asked.

"Well the classes are separated between the younger children and the teens. Alex, Sean and my younger sister Raven-" Raven, in her blond hair and blue eyed guise waved- "are part of the second group. As of right now, Sookie and Tara are the youngest children in the first group. There is a nine year old boy named Jack who will also be part of the first group. The oldest girl in the group is a ten year old named Primrose. The oldest boy will be ten year old Remy over here."

Hearing his name, Remy looked up at everyone.

Sookie smiled. "Hi. My name is Sookie. That's my gran, my older brother Jason and my friend Tara." Sookie said, pointing to them.

Remy blushed. "Hi."

"Well hello," Adele greeted warmly. Jason and Tara just waved.

"Alex and Sean can help you with your suitcases ladies." Charles suggested. Adele nodded. Sookie and Tara led the two older boys to the kitchen. It wasn't too long before they came back with the luggage. After some heartfelt goodbyes were exchanged, Sookie and Tara left the house with the X- men. They went around the house to the woods. Each step took them farther and farther away from Bon Temps.

"It's right here," Hank said. Everyone stopped walked.

"What's right here?" Sookie asked, exchanging a look with Tara. The other girl looked just as confused. No one said anything. Hank pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The X- jet appeared, seemingly out of thin air.

"Woah," Both girls said in awe.

"Just wait until you actually get inside," Raven said with a smile. Everyone got in the jet. Sookie and Tara sat with Remy. Raven helped them all with their seat belts.

"Are we all ready to go back there?" Erik asked.

Raven settled herself in the seat next to Tara. Ready."

Then I believe that it's time to go home," Charles stated. "Isn't that right Hank?"

"Yes it is Professor." Hank turned on the engine. He flew it into the sky.

* * *

><p>In their underground headquarters, the authority of the seven sitting at the semi- circular table was well known.<p>

"Now what is on the agenda?" The Guardian, Roman asked.

"I have just gotten some… interesting information from our other contacts in Louisiana," Salome began.

"Oh?"

"It seems that the boy, Remy is not the only child that has disappeared. Seems a…," Salome pulled out two school photos, "Sookie Stackhouse and a Tara Thorton are also unaccounted for." Everyone sitting at the table looked at the pictures.

"Is there any reason to believe that those people had anything to do with their disappearance?" Dieter asked.

"In the Thorton girl's case, it seems unlikely," Salome admitted, "her mother is also missing as well, but our contact does say that three days ago, she was seen with Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr at a local establishment, sharing a meal."

Now in the other child's case," Salome continued. "Both Xavier and Lensherr visited her house, also three days ago. Now she's absent and her family doesn't seem the least bit concerned. Also, she has been alienated by the townspeople because of some 'disability'. I have reason to believe that this 'disability' is actually her mutant ability. Both girls have only been missing for five hours, but I have word that Xavier and his little gang has already left the state."

The members of the Authority silently absorbed this information. This had to be dealt with. Their authority seemed to be in questioned, all because of these humans that seemed to come out of thin air.

"On that note," Kibwe began, "more mutants are being identified all over the globe."

"Russell Edgington has managed to collect some mutants. He plans on making them participate in a competition. It will be interesting to study their abilities," Alexander pointed out.

Roman nodded. "When will everything be ready?"

"All within the month."

"Also," Rosalyn smirked. "Nan Flanigan managed to come through with collecting a mutant we can observe."

Roman smirked. "Excellent." Roman clapped his hands. "Buzz her in then."

Roselyn did exactly as commanded. As the doors opened, two figures entered. One seemed to be a woman in her forties, with short, blond hair that was slicked back. The woman was wearing a blue silk, button down shirt, a black pencil skirt. Her high heels clicked on the marble floors. She stopped in front of the table, tugging the least so hard, she made the person behind her stumbled.

"Very good job Nan," Roman gave the woman a sharp smile. "Efficient as always."

Nan Flanigan smirked. "I always aim to please." She turned to the small boy behind her. He had brown hair, his eyes were covered by a dirty rag tied around his head. His clothing was old and dirty. Around his neck laid a dark collar, which was connected to the leash in Nan's manicured hand. "Apparently this one was in some foster home in Chicago. All I did was give foster daddy a few hundred bucks and he gave me the kid."

" Just goes to show you; money will buy you anything," Nora said, checking her nails with a bored countenance.

"True." Nan smirk grew larger. "I also found out some information about the prisoner that I think you'll find interesting."

Roman was intrigued. "Oh?"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the franchises or characters associated with that franchise.

* * *

><p>"The jet is just about ready to land," Hank yelled to the passengers. Beast flipped a couple of switches. The newly constructed basketball court on the property gave way to the hidden base that was underground. Beast managed to fly the X-jet unto the opening and land it like he had been doing it all his life. Everyone unbuckled their seat belts once the jet landed.<p>

Erik got out of his seat and made sure Charles' wheelchair was properly untangled from the straps holding it stable. Once the chair was freed, the metal- kinetic pushed the chair towards the closed door.

Charles looked at everyone else to make sure he had their attention before he spoke.

"Alright everyone," Charles started, "I am counting on you to show our new students around."

"No problem Professor," Sean said, giving a two fingered salute.

"Which rooms are they going to be staying in Charles?" Raven asked.

"Sookie and Tara can both share one of the rooms on the second floor. Remy is going to be sharing the room with Jack." All of the bedrooms have been redecorated so that two students could comfortably coexist in one bedroom. Everyone had agreed that they wanted to make more room for more students, and the bedroom were all certainly big enough. Sean and Alex were both rooming together. Raven was rooming with a sixteen year old girl named Tabitha. The only ones who weren't sharing bedrooms were instructors like Charles, Erik and Hank.

"Today is Saturday, so there will be no classes today or tomorrow," Charles said to the youngest students. "So please take time to get yourselves sorted. You begin classes on Monday, so you have two day to get to know your peers before then. If you have any questions, you can always ask anyone of us."

All three children nodded. They really didn't have much to say right then.

Hank opened the jet door. Everyone came down the sloped runway.

'_Erik and Hank,'_ Charles projected. _'There is something very disturbing that I learned during Remy's rescue.'_

Hank's thoughts became grim. _'What was it Professor?'_

'_I'll tell you and everyone else as soon as they get Sookie, Tara and Remy settled. I didn't tell them right afterwards because I didn't want Remy or the girls to overhear.'_

'_Then why not just tell us telepathically while we were on the jet?'_

'_Because Sookie Stackhouse is a young telepath who hasn't stopped reading everyone's thoughts since we entered the Stackhouse residence.'_

'_WHAT?'_ Erik mentally yelled. _'So she's just been listening in on everyone's thoughts?'_

_'She can't help it Erik.'_ Charles explained. _'When we first met her, I thought she was doing it on purpose as well, but now I'm sure that it's beyond her control.' _

'_There were nine people on that jet, thinking and feeling many different things and she did absolutely nothing to block all of them out.'_

Erik's anger summered down. He knew from Charles that the human mind just never stops thinking, so listening to multiple minds at the same time, can be very difficult to endure.

'_We will all meet in an hour,'_ Charles projected. "That should give everyone plenty of time to freshen up."

Hank nodded. "I'm going to go over my planned instruction so I can be ready for Monday's classes. I'll see you in an hour. Professor."

Both men watched their younger colleague depart. When he was finally gone, they both shared a look.

"Care for a quick game of chess?" Erik asked.

Charles smiled. "Of course my friend."

* * *

><p>Raven, Alex and Sean led the new students up the stairs to the second floor. They immediately walked to the first door across the staircase.<p>

"Now this is one of the bathrooms on this floor. There are two bathrooms on this floor, and about four bathrooms in the entire house." Sookie, Tara and Remy nodded. They all walked three doors down from the bathroom. Raven opened the door. Inside was a white room with a medium sized window, shining sunlight into it. Inside were two, brand new, twin sized beds. At the foot of each bed, a desk was located. Next to each desk was a bookcase. What blew all three children's minds was the fact that, even with all of the furniture inside, the room was still very spacious. The room was actually so large, Tara believed that her little two bedroom house could fit in this while room. Hell, the whole house looked like a castle.

Alex and Sean entered and put the suitcases next to the beds.

"Sookie and Tara," Raven gestured with flourish, "this is your room. Remy, Alex and Sean will take you to your room after I explain a few things."

"All students share rooms with each other. Remy you'll meet your own roommate soon. Sookie and Tara- this is your room, so you can do whatever you'd like to decorate. Paint the walls; put the pictures up, etc."

"There are other students. After you're settled, I'll introduce you. I'm actually right next door to you. This floor is mainly the all girl's floor. The boys are upstairs on the third floor. Curfew depends on your age. Everyone who is under seven years old needs to be in bed no later than 8:00 p.m. If you're between seven and twelve, your curfew is 9:00 p.m. Thirteen to fifteen is 10:00. Sixteen and older get to be up until 11:00 p.m., and can be up until 12:30 on weekends." Raven smiled. "Do you have any questions?"

All three of the new students shook their heads.

"Alrighty then." Raven turned to Alex and Sean. "I'm going to my room. You'll both be alright helping Remy get settled?"

"We'll be fine," Alex answered stiffly. _'Besides, if we needed your help. We know better than to trust you. How the Professor could just allow them to come back like it never happened, I'll never understand.'_

Sookie continued to listen. Whatever Alex was thinking, it was obvious he didn't like Raven very much.

Raven hesitated. "O-okay then." Raven smiled at the two little girls. "You can find me next door if you need me. If not, I'll see you when everyone breaks for lunch." Raven walked past everyone and left.

"We should take Remy to his room no,'' Sean whispered.

Alex nodded. "Bye ladies." The girls giggled. Alex put a hand on Remy's shoulder. "Come on Remy."

Sookie and Tara waved. "Bye."

"See you later."

Sean waved as well. "See ya."

Remy smiled and waved. After all three boys left. The two girls studied their new room.

Tara jumped on the bed on the right. "Look at this room!"

Sookie walked towards the window. The little girl took in the view outside. The green lawn was large. The Iron Gates seemed so far away from the house. This place was so big; it could probably hold both Sookie and Tara's houses and their old school combined and still have space left over. "This place is like a castle," Sookie declared in awe.

"We should go exploring," Tara said.

Sookie nodded eagerly. Both girls began to unpack their bags quickly. The promise of adventure was too much to pass up.

* * *

><p>Alex and Sean led Remy up to the third floor. Sean pointed to the first door across from the stairs.<p>

"This is the first bathroom on this floor. There's another bathroom at the end of the hall Remy."

Remy nodded distractedly. This whole place was ridiculously huge. He couldn't believe that someone would want to have four or more bathrooms; it made no sense to him. Honestly, the whole idea that someone like Charles Xavier, who was obviously rich, would want to turn his mansion into a school. Remy couldn't help but started casing the place for all its valuables.

It wasn't like Remy had never been seen a mansion before- the headquarters of the Thieves' Guild was also a mansion, but it was completely different from that. While Jean- Luc's mansion felt completely cold, dark, and void of any human warmth and kindness, this mansion seemed to be completely filled with light and warmth that touched and seeped into the people that entered the house. Remy couldn't help but to think one thing.

'_Home.'_

Remy mind finally came back to earth when the blond boy- Alex opened the door right next to the bathroom. It was a large bedroom; just as large as the one Sookie and Tara were sharing. The room was even similarly decorated, with one a few differences.

The first difference Remy noticed was that the walls in this room was painted a light blue color. It reminded Remy of snow. Another difference Remy noted was that the room already looked lived in. While Sookie and Tara's room looked completely brand new, Remy could see that the sheets on one of the beds were completely disheveled and out of place. Books were completely stacked on one of the desks. Remy couldn't see anyone else, but it was still obvious that some else lived here.

"Well Remy," Sean gestured wildly with his arms. "This is your new home as long as you decide to stay with us. You already have a roommate named Jack." Both Sean and Alex looked around. "It looks like he's not here right now, but you'll meet him eventually. He's around your age and a really nice kid; I'm sure you'll both get along."

Remy said nothing. He put his backpack on the unused bed.

"Decorate however you want to- it's your room now." Alex said. "I think the Professor is making us go shopping tomorrow, so you can get whatever you want to then." Remy nodded to signal that he heard.

"Then this is where we leave you," Sean said. "Our room is across and two doors to the left. Just knock if you need anything." With that, the two older boys finally left Remy alone in the room.

Alex and Sean walked over to their own room. Sean had just opened the door when they both felt a familiar presence in their mind.

_'Alex and Sean,'_ Charles called. _'There will be a meeting in exactly ten minutes. Please attend.'_

"Is there something wrong Professor?" Alex asked aloud.

_'There is something I discovered during Remy's rescue. I'll explain in more detail during the meeting.'_ The Professor's presence disappeared.

Sean shared a look with Sean. "I wonder why the Professor never mentioned this before."

Alex shrugged. "He probably had his reasons." Alex walked into the room. "Right now I just want to take a shower and relax a little."

Sean couldn't argue with that sentiment. He dropped on his own bed. "Just wake me up when it's time to go."

* * *

><p>Remy put his clothes in the empty closet and drawer. His back was towards the door, so he did not see the other boy who walked into the room.<p>

"Hey are you new?" Remy jumped an inch off the ground. When he turned towards the voice, his heart was hammering in his chest and inquisitive blue eyes were looking at him. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"I wasn't scared," Remy automatically replied.

The other boy raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but didn't argue. "I'm Jack. What are you doing in my room? Are you my new roommate? What's your name? What's your power?"

Remy watched in horrid fascination as the other boy continued to speak. How was he able to talk so long without taking a break, Remy had no idea. Maybe that was his mutant ability. _'Mon Dieu, he's still talkin,'_ Remy thought. At some point, the Louisiana native had to tune the other boy out. He took in the other boy's appearance.

The first thing that Remy noticed about Jack was his skin. It was so pale that it looked like it had a bluish tint to it. Even Jack's lips looked blue- the kind of blue you get when you're dying from exposure. Jack ran one of his hands to his snow white hair. Jack had the lightest blue eyes Remy had ever seen. His outfit consisted of a blue hoodie and brown pants that ended just below his knees. Jack wore no shoes or socks.

Jack suddenly grinned bashfully. "Oops," Jack said. "Sorry about that. I tend to get carried away when I meet new people."

What a strange kid. _'But ev'ryone here is strange.'_ Remy was now living with other mutants; his own kind. "It's fine. The names Remy."

"Nice to meet you." Jack got a mischievous look. "You wanna go outside?"

Remy thought about it. "Sure mon amie. Maybe Sookie and Tara wanna come too."

"Okay!" Jack nodded enthusiastically and then paused. "Who are Sookie and Tara?"

* * *

><p>Charles, Erik, Hank and Raven were waiting inside the library at the appointed time. The door opened, Alex and Sean walked in.<p>

"Sorry Professor," Sean stated. "It took longer than we thought to get settled."

"Not a problem." Charles gestured to two available seats. "This trip to Louisiana was very hectic, especially during Remy's rescue, but I'm afraid there is still another hurdle coming our way." Charles put two fingers on his forehead, an obvious sign that the man was using his power. Charles showed everyone Jean- Luc's memory. Once the memory ended everyone still couldn't believe what they had seen.

"Please tell me that…" Raven stuttered, "... t- that they weren't really…?"

"I'm afraid they were my dear," Charles said. "It is exactly the way it seemed."

"Vampires?" Sean's wide eyes searched everyone else's. "Does anyone else hear how insane that is? Vampires don't even exist?"

"People probably said that same thing about mutants, Sean." Alex shrugged. "Maybe Bram Stoker actually got something right." Hank, Sean and Raven stared at him. "What? I read sometimes." Everyone else stayed silent.

Hank looked at the table. Erik's shrewd gaze studied the young man. "Is there something on your mind Beast?" Hank glared at the man who dared to speak to him and stayed silent.

Charles turned to Hank. "Hank?"

Hank sighed. "There is something that is still bothering me," he admitted.

"What is it?" Raven asked.

"It's just… in that memory, we can all infer that the boy they're talking about is Remy."

Charles nodded. "I'd say that's a very good assumption."

"But how did they even know about Remy?"

Everyone considered the question.

"Maybe this Jean- Luc guy told them about Remy." Alex shrugged. Guys like him time to throw anyone under the bus for a little cash."

"That may be so," Erik answered. "It's too bad we can't ask Jean- Luc."

"Why not?" Sean asked. "We could go back to Louisiana and the Professor could search his mind again."

"We could Banshee," Erik concurred. "The only problem is that Jean- Luc probably no longer around to answer our questions."

"And why are so sure about that?" Sean shot back.

"Come on now," Erik said. "Vampire or not, they made it very clear to Jean- Luc- either deliver Remy to them or his own health would be at risk. I have no real way of knowing this, but I assume that because he could not deliver Remy…" Erik let the sentence hang. Everyone else could connect the dots.

"Hey…" Everyone turned to Raven. "If they knew about Remy, that means they know about mutants."

One by one they realized the implications of Mystique's statement.

"So they may know where to find other mutants." Alex summed up. "What's to say that these freaks don't know anything about us?"

"There's no reason to believe that these people know about us," Charles pointed out slowly.

"There's no reason to believe that these people know about us," Charles pointed out slowly.

"There was no reason to believe that the federal government would ever find out about the existence of mutants, but it did happen," Erik also pointed out.

"But how would they have found out about us?" Hank tapped his chin. "Even if they got their information from Jean- Luc, that information would be completely limited at best."

"I think we're all thinking about this the wrong way," Alex said suddenly.

Charles became curious. "How so?"

"We need to stop talking about that guy like he's important in all of this," Alex stated, crossing his arms. "He was just a patsy, probably at the bottom of the food chain, or at else the possible threat to his life would not have concerned him. These people probably have thousands of Jean- Luc, giving them into about other mutants. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they had their hooks in the government. They probably have that sort of pull."

Now that thought was terrifying to say the least.

"That means the students are in danger," Charles rubbed two fingers on the bridge of his nose.

"They're safer within these walls." Erik gave each person a meaningful glance. "This information would just cause a lot of panic."

"Then what do you suggest?" Hank growled.

"Extra training," Magneto insisted. "We begin running evacuation drills, so that they know that if the school is under attack, they should go underground. Charles, that underground bunker does have other entrances correct?"

Professor Xavier nodded. "As I've said before; my stepfather was very paranoid about nuclear war."

They continued to talk about other possible solutions and theories. It seemed that there was a new threat they had stumbled on to, now they must find a way to deal with it.

* * *

><p>Outside the mansion, Jack led Remy, Sookie and Tara to the nearest patch of grass. All four of them laid on the grass and looked at the clouds.<p>

"This is great!" Jack exclaimed. "Now the classes won't seem as small anymore."

"How many of us are there?" Tara asked.

Jack became thoughtful. "Well Professor X, Magneto and Beast are the only teachers."

"Wait." Sookie scrunched her brow. "Professor X I understand, but who are Magneto and Beast?"

"Magneto is Erik Lensherr," Jack said. "Beast is Hank McCoy. A lot of people around here take codenames. Most have codenames others just don't. I have one," Jack said smugly.

"What is it?" Tara asked. The other new students were interested.

Jack grinned. "I'm Jack Frost."

"Who else is here?" Remy asked.

"There are the kids from the older group," Jack stated. He began counting on his fingers. There's Boom-boom- her real name is Tabitha. She's not very nice, so I would avoid her; and if she throws a glowing ball at you, run away. There's another girl named Jubilee- her real name isn't really that different from her codename anyway. Then there's Angel- Warren Worthington; he's a pretty nice guy. Then there's Sway- Suzanne Chan; not too bad. She's just really quiet.

"Then there's Banshee- Sean Cassidy. Havok- Alex Summers. Finally Mystique- Raven. They're nice. They've all been here the longest out of all of us. That's pretty much the older group. In our group-."

"Jack, can I ask you something?" Sookie asked, hesitantly.

"Sure," Jack answered, "just shoot."

"Well…," Sookie looked very conflicted. "Do you know if… I mean… are Sean and Alex mad at Raven for something?"

Jack's smile was replaced by a frown. "What do you mean?"

"It's just…," Sookie started. "Actually, never mind. It's none of my business anyway."

Jack looked back at the clouds. "You're not crazy Sookie; sometimes I've noticed it. Hank's not really… as nice to Raven. There mad at Erik too. But I don't know why. Whatever it is- it's from before I got here."

There was an awkward silence. It made Sookie wish she'd never ask about it. Now Jack's uncomfortable and she didn't know how to make it better.

"Is there anyone closer to our age?" Tara asked. Sookie just wanted to hug her right now.

Jack beamed. "There is me. There is also a girl named Prim- Primrose Everdeen-." Jack noticed a girl with blond pigtails walking by them. "That's her right now. Hey Prim!"

The girl turned towards them, smiled and walked over. Her blue dress swayed into the wind.

"Hey Prim." Jack got up from the grass. "I want you to meet Remy, Sookie and Tara. Everyone, this is Primrose; we all call her Prim for short."

"So you're all the new kids." Prim held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Everyone shook hands and exchanged greetings. Prim sat on the grass next to Sookie's left side. "So how do you all like the Institute so far?"

Remy said the first thing that came to mind. "This place is really large."

Prim nodded. "It really is. I was just as shocked by it. It can get a little overwhelming."

"How long have you been here?" Tara asked.

Prim laid on the ground. "About two months. I got here during the summer, so about two months." Prim looked over Jack's feet. "Jack, you know that the Professor doesn't like it when you go outside without shoes on. He's not going to be happy if you track mud into the house again."

Jack wiggled his toes. "Well I don't like shoes." Jack grinned. "It's not like I need to walk into the house anyway." After that, Jack floated into the air.

"Woah," Remy gasped. Everyone else stood up, watching Jack as he continued to glide around in the air. Jack laughed.

"That's nothing," Jack guffawed. "This is why I'm Jack Frost!" Jack held his hands. Blue beams shot out of his palms and hit a random patch of grass. Ice and frost began spread over the area. Jack flew around in the air a few times before his feet touched the ground again.

"That was so cool!" Sookie laughed. Remy felt a burning tightness in his stomach. Jack's powers no longer seemed so cool anymore. _'What a show off,'_ Remy thought angrily. For some reason, Sookie started to stare at him. Remy blushed. _'Why is she staring at me like that?'_

Jack grinned. "That's what I can do. What about you guys?"

The new students shared a look with each other, silently deciding who would go first.

"My turn cher." Remy pulled something out of his pockets. It was a playing card, specifically the ace of spades. The card began to glow with energy. Remy threw the card at the ice on the ground, and it exploded on impact.

"Cool!" Tara noted. Remy smiled.

"What happened to your eyes?" Sookie asked. Remy's eyes were completely different. Instead of their usual brown, Remy's eyes were completely dark, except for glowing red pupils. It was like watching a solar eclipse.

"What?" Remy asked, confused. His eyes changed back to their normal brown.

"Your eyes changed," Sookie explained. "They were completely dark and your pupils were red."

Prim frowned. "They look normal now… maybe it was just a trick of the light or something."

Sookie frowned. "But I know what I saw," Sookie said.

"Whatever this is, I think you need to ask the Professor about it."

"Oh who cares about that now?" Jack asked impatiently. "That was cool. Can you do that to other stuff? Or does it only work with playing cards."

"It'll work with anythin'," Remy answered. Jack looked like he was about to ask some more questions, but Tara decided to step in.

"My turn," she said. Tara took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Tara could feel her power working. She opened her eyes. Jack, Prim and Remy started searching for her. Tara couldn't help but grin; they were all looking for her.

All except Sookie that is.

"Guys." Sookie pointed towards Tara. "Tara's still standing in the same spot. She hasn't moved."

Tara giggled before finally appearing. Jack couldn't help but be impressed by Tara's power. Any prank would go off without a hitch if he could also be invisible. Prim looked very confused. _'How could Sookie have done that?'_

"I knew because I could still hear her," Sookie answered.

Prim gasped. Comprehension finally set in. "You're like the Professor." Everyone caught on to what she meant.

"THAT. IS. SO. COOL!" Jack yelled, jumping into the air. "What am I thinking? What's it like reading minds? What's it like to know what everyone's thinking? I bet it never gets-."

"Jack!" Prim yelled. The white- haired boy looked at the older girl. "Give her a break from the questions and come back down here."

Jack silently landed back on the ground. Sookie couldn't help but to be relieved. Jack wasn't too bad; he acted a lot better about her power than most people did, that's for sure… but his high energy left her feeling tired and disoriented. _'Thank you Prim,' _she thought.

_'You're very welcomed.'_ Sookie almost jumped in fright. She turned to Prim, who was smiling at her in return. This had never happened to Sookie before; usually she was too overwhelmed by everyone's thoughts, and most of energy went to trying to block those sounds out. She never knew that she could actually speak to anyone else with her own thoughts. _'Interesting.'_ "What can you do Prim?"

Prim giggled. "I can heal injuries," Prim explained. "It's not something I can demonstrate right now."

The five children began to talk about everything they continued to laugh and play, until they all felt a presence in their heads.

_'Children,'_ Professor Xavier called. _'Lunch will begin soon, so please wash up before joining us all at the table.'_

Tara and Sookie jumped in shock. Charles was honestly the strongest mental presence either ever felt.

_Yes Professor,'_ Prim answered for everyone.

_'And Jack; your feet better be cleaned and in socks and shoes before at the table.'_

Jack grinned bashfully. "Sure thing."

The Professor laughed and then his powerful presence was gone.

The children ran- in Jack's case, floated- towards the house.

* * *

><p>Later in the night…<p>

A private jet flew down towards an almost abandoned area. When the jet door finally opened, about twelve different people in dark suites exited the vehicle and walk towards multiple mounds covered by grey sheets. These sheets were removed, revealing three black cars.

Two of the covered Godric and Eric entered the back of the first car. Two others sat in the sat in the front. The cars began to drive towards their temporary location.

"Have you finally found their location Eric?" Godric asked.

The blond opened a briefcase on his legs and pulled out a file. Erik handed the file to Godric, who opened the file. "This seems to be the most likely location."

Godric scanned the file. It seemed that one of the ring leaders of this rag- tag group owns some property in Westchester… but surely they wouldn't pick such an obvious location? The government would have surely found them out by now. Godric closed the file and stared at his child.

Eric frowned. "The deed is actually in his father's name. It's the only viable lead I managed to find," Eric defended. "Sometimes the most obvious lead is the correct one."

Godric nodded, conceding that could be. If it was the case, then it was very idiotic and very clever. "Once we verify this location, we will properly plan out the attack."

"Yes maker," Eric replied.

"You will not be making any move against them until I give the word," Godric whispered warningly. He did not want a repeat of World War II.

"But of course," Eric answered smoothly. Both beings sat together in comfortable silence.

Their car drove silently into the night, leading the others to the next location. Soon, their mission would be completed, and the Authority will not be questioned.


End file.
